Winner: The Georgia offensive line<\/p>\n
Georgia had four players make Preseason First Team All-SEC<\/a>. Two came in the secondary in safety KJ Bolden and cornerback Ellis Robinson. <\/p>\n The other came on the offensive line. Earnest Greene earned the honor, claiming one of the top four offensive tackle\/guard spots. The other went to center Drew Bobo. <\/p>\n Anyone who watched the Georgia offense without Bobo last year saw how vital he was to the operation. When he exited the Georgia Tech game with a broken bone in his left foot, the Georgia offense took a noticeable step back. <\/p>\n Bobo underwent Lisfranc surgery<\/a> to repair the injury and missed spring practice while recovering. One of the bigger offseason storylines had to do with whether or not Bobo would be ready to go for the start of this season. <\/p>\n Georgia doesn\u2019t open September with a difficult slate, but the Oklahoma game at the end of September looms large. The Sooners tied Georgia with 12 selections on the three All-SEC teams.<\/p>\n Based on where things sit coming out of SEC Media Days, it sounds like Bobo plans to be ready to start the year. <\/p>\n \u201cI know that they progressed me really well during the spring,\u201d Bobo said of the job done by the Georgia medical staff. \u201cI mean, I got back into running and doing things during summer camp.\u00a0Kind of a slow progression, too. But just trying to get into doing everything. I\u2019ve been able to do everything during the summer.\u00a0So I\u2019m hoping to be able to get everything done whenever the season starts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Georgia was the only team in the SEC with multiple offensive linemen to make First-Team All-SEC. Offensive guard Dontrell Glover was a second-team selection, giving the Bulldogs three of the top-10 linemen in the league. <\/p>\n Bobo may well be the best of the bunch. And exiting SEC Media Days, there\u2019s real reason to feel optimistic about what he can do to open the season.<\/p>\n Loser: The underdawgs<\/p>\n Hand up, I was outright surprised to see that Georgia was voted by the league\u2019s media to win the SEC.<\/a><\/p>\n The Bulldogs have won the SEC in each of the last two seasons and got a rather favorable schedule, comparatively speaking. <\/p>\n Still, I had thought that everyone would be eager to anoint Texas given how quarterback Arch Manning finished last season. Add in what Texas did in the transfer portal and I thought a lot of last season\u2019s sins would be forgiven. <\/p>\n Last year, with an unproven Manning, Texas was picked to win the league over Georgia. Texas picked up 96 first-place votes to Georgia\u2019s 44. <\/p>\n Yet the end of the season rolled around and Georgia was back in Atlanta. Steve Sarkisian was at home lobbying for a 9-3 Texas to make the College Football Playoff. <\/p>\n The Longhorns were picked to finish second in the league, with Ole Miss coming in third. Georgia had 88 first-place votes, followed by 57 for Texas.<\/p>\n Georgia is the model of consistency in the SEC. The Bulldogs have made eight of the last nine SEC championship games and four of the previous five College Football Playoffs. <\/p>\n With the lofty media ranking, Georgia won\u2019t be able to play the overlooked or underdog card entering this season. This is a talented Georgia team, one that is expected to accomplish great things. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Winner: Gabe Harris<\/p>\n Kirby Smart is not one to often make excuses from the previous season. <\/p>\n He knows how things ended for Georgia last season wasn\u2019t good enough. He\u2019s given credit to Ole Miss and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at every turn. <\/p>\n With that context, it makes the way Smart has spoken about the Georgia defensive end all the more eyebrow-raising. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a grind you out, hard nose, culture team. We\u2019re physical,\u201d Smart said.<\/a> \u201cWe\u2019re better when we\u2019re playing in rhythm, when we have week after week after week and we have to rebound to play somebody. The breaks have probably affected us some. And then, you know, realistically, honestly, the injuries, you know, the Gabe (Harris)-Drew (Bobo) thing was just really, really tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris was playing at an elite level for Georgia during the month of November. He stood out in the SEC championship game against Alabama. <\/p>\n But that would prove to be the last time we saw Harris on the field<\/a>, as he suffered a toe injury that required surgery. He was limited all spring for Georgia and is still working his way back into full shape. <\/p>\n Smart didn\u2019t just bring up the injury to Harris last season. He put even greater expectations on the senior\u2019s shoulders. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s out there doing everything now. He did not do anything in the spring,\u201d Smart said. \u201cAnd we need him to have a big year. But, yeah, he\u2019s on a load-management deal, so he\u2019s not like out there every day doing everything. But he\u2019s healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n When Smart does something like that, it\u2019s usually because he knows the player can deliver. <\/p>\n If Harris does what Smart knows he can,<\/a> that would make this talented defense all the more nasty this season. <\/p>\n Loser: Ryan Silverfield<\/p>\n The Arkansas coach didn\u2019t exactly apologize for his comments made about the Georgia football team last fall when he was still at Memphis. <\/p>\n Silverfield called out Georgia\u2019s driving record last fall. <\/a><\/p>\n When asked about those comments and whether he reached out to Smart, Silverfield\u2019s comments didn\u2019t exactly come with conviction. <\/p>\n